The Stepford Wives, Ira Levin
The Stepford Wives, Ira Levin
25 Rating(s)
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
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The Stepford Wives

Author: Ira Levin

Narrator: January LaVoy, Grover Gardner

Unabridged: 3 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/07/2024

Synopsis

Ira Levin’s dark suburban tale remains as compelling—and frighteningly relevant—as ever. Psychological suspense mixes with elements of science fiction to create an extraordinary thriller tinged with Levin’s sly, satirical wit.Few novels have enshrined themselves in the collective consciousness to the degree The Stepford Wives has. Levin’s sardonic critique has been spun off into countless film and television adaptations, from 1975’s original Katharine Ross filming to 2004’s Nicole Kidman offering—and its influence can be felt in later works from The Handmaid’s Tale to Get Out. Its title alone has become part of our common lexicon.Joanna Eberhart is a creative, self-possessed wife and mother, newly arrived in seemingly idyllic Stepford, Connecticut. But as she and her family begin settling in, she’s jarred by the unaccountable sameness of the local wives: all flawlessly attractive, with perfectly maintained homes—and little seeming interest in anything else. As curiosity turns to concern, Joanna finds herself unraveling a web of malice that threatens her very existence. Prepare to be captivated, unnerved, and utterly engrossed by Ira Levin’s dark and unforgettable modern classic, The Stepford Wives.This edition includes an afterword by Peter Straub.

About Ira Levin

The genre-defining works of novelist-playwright Ira Levin (1929–2007) include such indelible titles as Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives, The Boys from Brazil, and Deathtrap—the fifth-longest-running play in Broadway history. At home in nearly every genre—horror (Rosemary’s Baby), crime (Edgar-winning A Kiss Before Dying), science fiction (This Perfect Day), comedy (No Time For Sergeants), even a Broadway musical (Drat! The Cat!)—Levin’s enduring works continue to resonate with readers and audiences, serving as iconic cultural and creative touchstones. Learn more at Levin’s official website, IraLevin.org.

About Peter Straub

Peter Straub (1943-2022) was the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels. He has won the Bram Stoker Award for his two of his novels and a short story collection, 5 Stories; he has also won a World Fantasy Award and an International Horror Guild Award. He received a BA degree in English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and an MA from Columbia University.

About January LaVoy

January LaVoy, winner of numerous awards for narration, was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine in 2019. She is an American actress best known for her character Noelle Ortiz on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. In addition to working extensively in narration and television, including roles on Law & Order and All My Children, she has worked on and off Broadway as well as in regional theater.

About Grover Gardner

Grover Gardner is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Federico on September 10, 2023

Disparate Housewives. In the midst of the women’s liberation movement, a little town in Connecticut seems to show an inexplicable regression. Independent women are turning into cleaning maniacs and dedicated housewives. What the hell is happening? Something in the air? The water? Is it a disease?......more

Goodreads review by Susan on June 07, 2019

In the early 80s, I took a college course in feminist theory. That’s where I was introduced to the ideas of Simone de Beauvoir, Kate Millet, and Betty Friedan. Little did I know that I could have saved myself a lot of time by reading The Stepford Wives instead. The Stepford Wives is one of the popul......more

Goodreads review by Baba on December 29, 2022

A modern classic, whose ending many of you will already know from the movie? An eternal warning about how men truly want to deal with issues around the gender equality? Is that far fetched? Just look at the machinations of the Trump White House and the legacy of Hollywood's casting couch approach to......more

Goodreads review by Jon on October 17, 2024

A very complex book: a commentary on the way we look at women and the role women have been assigned for centuries. The horrific aspect of the novel is that (in the end) the real question is: who really has lost their humanity? Deeper questions of male dominance and misogyny are undercurrents in this......more

Goodreads review by Ravenskya on October 09, 2008

I can handle watching or reading just about any level of horror... so what was it about this tiny little novella that I read in an hour that truly chilled me? First, I have never seen the movies... so I had no real preconceived notions other than having seen the commercials. Something about being a......more

Quotes

“Masterful, ridiculously well crafted…flawless.”

“The Stepford Wives has one of the most enduring premises of twentieth-century American fiction.”

“Stepford Wives depicted the backlash against feminism twenty years before Susan Faludi wrote Backlash.”

“A wicked, deadpan humor lies at the heart of this tableau…As a novel that can be devoured nearly in one gulp, its very efficiency deflects attention from the controlled composure of its prose and the jewel-like perfection of its structure.”

“Levin…helped establish, and legitimize, the horror thriller.”

“The Stepford Wives…helped popularize the subgenre of feminist horror.”

“Chilling…Entertaining…Read it.”

“[Ira Levin] is the Swiss watchmaker of the suspense novel.”

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